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April S. Dominguez, who was elected as UTEP's homecoming queen Oct. 5, resigned her position Oct. 7 due to personal reasons, said Dean of Students Gary Edens.
In response to Dominguez's resignation, Jamie Boykins, junior nursing major, who was selected as homecoming duchess, also resigned.
"I didn't agree with some of the things going on. I just didn't want to be part of it," said Boykins, who is also the Student Government Association vice president of internal affairs. "I don't want to be part of the court. I just don't want to be part of the drama."
Kandolite Flores, senior communication major, who was named homecoming princess at the pageant, was offered the position and accepted it. Erika Anchondo, senior communication major, assumed the position of princess and Stephanie Ramos, junior biological sciences major, was named duchess.
Several students, who requested to remain anonymous, said that Dominguez, a sophomore English major and member of Alpha Xi Delta, used to work as a stripper at Jaguars Gold Club, a gentleman's club located at 11377 Gateway Blvd. West, on the East Side of El Paso.
The rules and regulations in the homecoming court application require applicants to state that they "will represent that they have not and will not engage in any activities which, if disclosed to the public, would bring…the Homecoming Pageant or UTEP ridicule or contempt not limited to, but to include…professional or amateur nude or semi/nude photographs or video tapes, prostitution, any felony conviction, probation or misdemeanor involving moral turpitude."
When asked to confirm if the statements of students were true, Dominguez said, "I don't work at Jaguars."
However, she said she wouldn't comment about whether she had worked at the club in the past.
The owner of Jaguars Gold Club was out of town and could not be reached for comment. Managers at Jaguars refused to provide any information in regards to employees at the club.
Cynthia Gonzalez, president of Alpha Xi Delta, stated in a letter to the editor: "April has consistently been an outstanding member, friend and sister."
Gonzalez also wrote that chapter members were happy to sponsor Dominguez for homecoming queen.
"April stood strong in the face of difficulty," Gonzalez wrote. "We are proud of April and look forward to the positive contributions she will continue to make to our chapter and UTEP."
Alpha Xi Delta advisers, Cheryl Pope and Jennifer Galindo, refused to comment on the issue.
SGA President Julio Diaz said that the members of the homecoming committee didn't know anything about these allegations, but that if Dominguez hadn't resigned, it would have been up to them to decide if she would still represent UTEP as the homecoming queen.
Carla Torres, SGA senator-at-large and member of the homecoming committee, said they extended the deadline for candidates to submit applications from Sept. 5 to Sept. 10 because they did not have enough applicants.
"We interviewed all the candidates…we took them by their word," Torres said. "They signed the documents."
State Sen. Eliot Shapleigh, D-El Paso, who was one of the five judges that selected the homecoming court, said the judges were given a file with information about the contestants, including their majors and their involvement at the university.
"Basically we see everything the audience sees," Shapleigh said. "Homecoming at UTEP is such a wonderful, warm campus activity. I hope that SGA will make it even better next year and learn from whatever happened this year."
Felipa Solis, contributor to the El Paso Times, was also part of the judging panel.
"She (Dominguez) seemed to be very qualified to represent the school," Solis said. "Unfortunately, there was this turn of events. I guess what's best for the school; it's best for all."
Adriana Gomez Licon may be reached at prospector@utep.edu.
Carlos M. Silva Jr. contributed to this story.
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